A mid-2008 Macbook Pro is still a great laptop buy at $500.00!

[Overmind One]

I mentioned in another thread that I had decided to replace my now non-functional Dell XPS 15 laptop with a used Macbook Pro purchased from a co-worker who replaced that with a 15" Macbook Pro Retina (2012). So, these are the issues:

Pros

• The hardware is excellent on this Mac, considering it is 5 years old : http://support.apple.com/kb/sp4

• The 250gb HDD can be swapped out for an SSD
• Mac OSX Mountain Lion 10.8.3 runs on it perfectly.
• This has a backlighted keyboard with auto dimming/light control which is great for night use.
• Previous owner had upgraded it to 8GB RAM, and Office for Mac 2013 as well as the entire Adobe Creative Suite CS5 was installed by previous owner (well over $1000 value). She is a creative in our office.
• Computer condition was flawless in all visible areas. Slight denting on bottom of the case, not visible at all when in use.
• My cat Dante is fascinated with it :

Cons

• Mid 2008 Macbook Pro runs only Bootcamp 4 so Windows is only fully supported to Windows 7 Pro (meaning that everything in the hardware runs without issue, webcam, lighted keyboard, trackpad programming, Bluetooth, etc). Windows 8 is not supported by this model, and would need Bootcamp 5 which will not install on this Mac. (is this a bad thing? )
• Max resolution on this Mac is 1440x900 which is not full HD, but still looks beautiful.

I needed this Mac for a variety of reasons, the most important of which is the fact that I now have to support an increasing number of Mac computers and Apple devices on my company network. I always could support it, since I run OSX in my virtual lab at home. But still, it is not the same as actually using a real Mac.

The ability to run at least Windows 7 Pro on it natively was a necessity and would have been a deal breaker if it did not run perfectly in the Mac whilst installed natively. The good news is that it does, and it runs really REALLY well. The only minor tweak which is an absolute MUST is configuring the Mac trackpad to issue a right click when clicking the bottom right corner of the trackpad. It makes using the trackpad in Mac seamless and intuitive.

The graphics card is an NVIDIA GeForce9600M GT which is an exceptional card to play games, and this means I can play all my favorite games on it in Windows . Skype dutifully sees the webcam and can use the microphone in this Mac. Dual monitors are supported in both Windows and OSX, as are all USB devices like my Samsung Galaxy S4 and most other Mac or Windows USB devices.

All in all....

If you want a decent laptop that can run Windows, and you are looking at some lower priced models which most likely will come with Windows 8, dont ignore the great value of an older Mac computer. You can find a non-upgraded example for about $300.00 or an upgraded one like mine for around $500. It may not have any programs installed in it, so consider that. The very lowest price I saw for Adobe Creative Suite CS5 is $525, which is by itself more than what I paid for this machine.

 

[Joelist]

I just landed his for $500:

http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-13-l321x-mlk/pd?~ck=mn

Build quality is superb, top is basically carved out of a single piece of aluminum but the bottom is carbon fiber and has that grip coating you see on premium smartphones. Boot up is virtually instant (Intel Rapid Start) and being an XPS there was no crap to remove. The SSD is the new mSATA type from Samsung that uses the SATA/6GB interface.

Gotta love Associate Discount programs

 

[Overmind One]

I just landed his for $500:

http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-13-l321x-mlk/pd?~ck=mn

Build quality is superb, top is basically carved out of a single piece of aluminum but the bottom is carbon fiber and has that grip coating you see on premium smartphones. Boot up is virtually instant (Intel Rapid Start) and being an XPS there was no crap to remove. The SSD is the new mSATA type from Samsung that uses the SATA/6GB interface.

Gotta love Associate Discount programs

OMG, what a beautiful device! An ultrabook... The so called "pc glut" is unleashing all sorts of deals, especially for those who know hardware. So much of the mainstream is driven by marketing that people flock to the names they know and the hype of the week. But if you are a tech savvy buyer, you can get a laptop or desktop with the power that servers had not too long ago.

 

[Joelist]

Ultrabooks can be great values if they have the build quality and use the right components. They can also be utter trash when they are cheaply made (plastic) and use slow mechanical HDDs (an ultrabook to me needs an SSD to merit consideration).

This XPS 13 was a ridiculous bargain I took advantage of. Basically half price. That said, I would still say the best of breed here are two Lenovo's, the ThinkPad Helix and the Ideapad Yoga:

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/tablets/thinkpad/thinkpad-helix/index.html/

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/ideapad/yoga/

 

[Bluce Ree]

Ultrabooks can be great values if they have the build quality and use the right components. They can also be utter trash when they are cheaply made (plastic) and use slow mechanical HDDs (an ultrabook to me needs an SSD to merit consideration).

This XPS 13 was a ridiculous bargain I took advantage of. Basically half price. That said, I would still say the best of breed here are two Lenovo's, the ThinkPad Helix and the Ideapad Yoga:

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/tablets/thinkpad/thinkpad-helix/index.html/

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/ideapad/yoga/

I find the use of the Ultrabook moniker is being abused by a lot of manufacturers. Intel has a minimum set of specs required to class a unit as an Ultrabook yet some of the Ultrabook devices I see at Best Buy are anything but.

 

[Backstep]

Ultrabooks can be great values if they have the build quality and use the right components. They can also be utter trash when they are cheaply made (plastic) and use slow mechanical HDDs (an ultrabook to me needs an SSD to merit consideration).

This XPS 13 was a ridiculous bargain I took advantage of. Basically half price. That said, I would still say the best of breed here are two Lenovo's, the ThinkPad Helix and the Ideapad Yoga:

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/tablets/thinkpad/thinkpad-helix/index.html/

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/ideapad/yoga/

I like the Thinkpad-Helix, but will wait till Lenovo upgrades to Haswell

 

[Overmind One]

I find the use of the Ultrabook moniker is being abused by a lot of manufacturers. Intel has a minimum set of specs required to class a unit as an Ultrabook yet some of the Ultrabook devices I see at Best Buy are anything but.

TBH Bluce...that term has morphed into a way to describe the form factor now and not necessarily the specs or the manufaturer. ("ultrabook" as opposed to Ultrabook). It is used in marketing to describe a thin, powerful computer with a wedge profile and an Intel chip. The MacBook Air is considered an ultrabook, as are many new models coming out. At least they all have Intel i-class processors...Intel should have copyrighted that moniker, but since they didn't, it is now being used by many manufacturers to describe the same type of device with the same form factor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrabook

 

[Bluce Ree]

TBH Bluce...that term has morphed into a way to describe the form factor now and not necessarily the specs or the manufaturer. ("ultrabook" as opposed to Ultrabook). It is used in marketing to describe a thin, powerful computer with a wedge profile and an Intel chip. The MacBook Air is considered an ultrabook, as are many new models coming out. At least they all have Intel i-class processors...Intel should have copyrighted that moniker, but since they didn't, it is now being used by many manufacturers to describe the same type of device with the same form factor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrabook

Take a stroll over to best buy and look at what passes for an Ultrabook. Even the form factors don't jive. Sony's VAIO Ultrabook offering is a perfect example. They use the capitalized "Ultrabook" logo, which I believe is copyrighted by Intel. I'm not quite sure how they get around the stringent requirements, though.


Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2[/quote][/quote]

 

[Overmind One]

Take a stroll over to best buy and look at what passes for an Ultrabook. Even the form factors don't jive. Sony's VAIO Ultrabook offering is a perfect example. They use the capitalized "Ultrabook" logo, which I believe is copyrighted by Intel. I'm not quite sure how they get around the stringent requirements, though.


Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

They did trademark that name. But it now can appear across manufacturers using the form factor and Intel chips. You cant call an AMD powered "ultrabook" an Ultrabook. Also, considering the ongoing pervasive heat problem with AMD processors, I doubt we will see very many of them. But sony can use it because the guts of the thing are Ultrabook (capital name). Check out how they use it on the Intel website:

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/sponsors-of-tomorrow/ultrabook.html

 

[Bluce Ree]

They did trademark that name. But it now can appear across manufacturers using the form factor and Intel chips. You cant call an AMD powered "ultrabook" an Ultrabook. Also, considering the ongoing pervasive heat problem with AMD processors, I doubt we will see very many of them. But sony can use it because the guts of the thing are Ultrabook (capital name). Check out how they use it on the Intel website:

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/sponsors-of-tomorrow/ultrabook.html

Ok, I don't think you're following what I'm saying.

One of the requirements for a device to qualify as an Ultrabook is that its form factor cannot exceed 0.7". There are 1" thick Ultrabooks out there, which is a total fraud. That's an Ultrabook "in name only".

 

[Overmind One]

Ok, I don't think you're following what I'm saying.

One of the requirements for a device to qualify as an Ultrabook is that its form factor cannot exceed 0.7". There are 1" thick Ultrabooks out there, which is a total fraud. That's an Ultrabook "in name only".

Im getting what you are saying, what I am saying is that these definitions that made something an Ultrabook have been hijacked by marketing into the description of what an "ultrabook" is (adjective, not noun). There is no authority to set requirements for what people are calling an "ultrabook" these days. .

 

[Bluce Ree]

Im getting what you are saying, what I am saying is that these definitions that made something an Ultrabook have been hijacked by marketing into the description of what an "ultrabook" is (adjective, not noun). There is no authority to set requirements for what people are calling an "ultrabook" these days. .

True, except these fraudulent ultrabooks have Intel's "Ultrabook" logo on them. Maybe a loop hole? Maybe the the device only needs to meet some significant percentage of the specs?